The pet passport scheme which is allowing cats and dogs into Britain without having to spend six months in quarantine is to be extended to a further 15 rabies-free islands.
The destinations being added to the Passport for Pets scheme includes Australia, New Zealand and Japan.The pet passport scheme which is allowing cats and dogs into Britain without having to spend six months in quarantine is to be extended to a further 15 rabies-free islands.
The destinations being added to the Passport for Pets scheme includes Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
The United States is not yet included but could be next on the list.
Agriculture minister Baroness Hayman said the pilot passport scheme, which was launched on February 28, and covered 22 Western European countries, had been a huge success, with 5,000 pets entering Britain from Europe since that date.
The extension to the scheme would not come into force until the end of January next year, but the ministry was giving pet-owners six months' notice because of the extensive preparations required, he said.
Pets which are going to travel under the passport scheme have to be given an identity microchip, be vaccinated against rabies, and undergo a blood test by a MAFF-recognised laboratory before being issued with a travelling certificate.
The certificate stays valid for six months only, until a rabies booster vaccination is due. Owners also need to arrange for their pets to have a veterinary check-up and tests while away, before they return to Britain.
A Ministry of Agriculture spokesman said: "We are announcing the extension early to give pet owners who want to travel further afield time to get ready.
The United States is not yet included but could be next on the list.
Agriculture minister Baroness Hayman said the pilot passport scheme, which was launched on February 28, and covered 22 Western European countries, had been a huge success, with 5,000 pets entering Britain from Europe since that date.
The extension to the scheme would not come into force until the end of January next year, but the ministry was giving pet-owners six months' notice because of the extensive preparations required, he said.
Pets which are going to travel under the passport scheme have to be given an identity microchip, be vaccinated against rabies, and undergo a blood test by a MAFF-recognised laboratory before being issued with a travelling certificate.
The certificate stays valid for six months only, until a rabies booster vaccination is due. Owners also need to arrange for their pets to have a veterinary check-up and tests while away, before they return to Britain.
A Ministry of Agriculture spokesman said: "We are announcing the extension early to give pet owners who want to travel further afield time to get ready.

"The extension will cover cats and dogs from 15 rabies-free islands
"By and large, because of the huge publicity campaign we have run, we have found that pet-owners have been very responsible and have arrived with their pets fully prepared."
Of the 5,000 animals which have entered Britain from Europe under the pet passport scheme, most have come through ports or the Channel Tunnel, with only about 120 coming into Heathrow.